Pre-Season Deer Scouting

Scouting for deer signs before the season comes in is a very important part of the overall hunting plan. Most hunters find hunting whitetails fun but not so many like the thought of walking all over the property looking for deer sign. However finding out where the deer are at is in order to have success in the field and take home a trophy buck.

One very important tool that some overlook is a well detailed map of the property. Aerial photos may be a little troublesome to obtain but are well worth the money. Photos will easily show possible feeding areas and other likely hangouts for deer. Topography maps may not show details as well but a hunter can fill in deer habitat by scouting the property. If all else fails, draw a map and scout the area to fill in the details. The idea is to know the property well and find out where the deer are.

Once some form of a map is in hand, it is time to scout the area. Be careful of property lines and stay within the land where permission to hunt is granted. Also, it is best to scout just before season begins in order to have more accurate information about where the deer are. Go check out the areas that looked promising for sign on the map first. Be as quiet as possible as not to disturb deer. Look for tracks, trails, rubs or even old scrapes. Rubs are areas of missing bark on tree trunks scraped off by a bucks antlers. Bucks create rubs to let others know they are around. Old scrapes from the last rut season will look like bare spots in the ground but may be partially covered with leaves depending on how late in the year it is when scouting. If all or some of these signs are present then it will probably be a very good area to hunt.

Scouting for whitetail deer is a chore but it is essential in order for all other deer hunting efforts to pay off. It is not difficult to do and may save hours of aggravation later. Also, scouting helps the hunter become familiar with the property before season in order to avoid any surprise land features and learn whereabouts of property lines.

By: Jelena Leger

About the Author:

Jelena Leger is a happily married mother of four. She has been marketing on the web since 2008 and has enjoyed the outdoors most of her life. Find good deals on digital game cameras and Cuddeback trail cameras